Friendship Warriors
by Dede42
Summary: Famous writer, Sarah Quartz, moves to Ponyville in order to get away from Las Pegasus, and her controlling editor, in order to relax and come up with a new book series for kids. Can the Mane Seven help her?
1. Chapter 1: ENTER SARAH QUARTZ

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Friendship Warriors

A/N: Hey, guys! So, with there being snow on the the ground here in Utah, I had to dig my way to the writers' studio, but I'm here and it's time to start a new adventure. So, this is an original story with an original character that was created by Musa Tecna bestfriends forever, and I have been given permission to both use this OC and develop the character's backstory, too. On with the show!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE: ENTER SARAH QUARTZ**

It was a sunny day in Equestria, and in Las Pegasus, the streets were packed with ponies eager to shop, go on rides, and party.

Hurrying through the crowded streets was a unicorn with red skin, greenish red mane and tail, green eyes, and her cutie mark was paper and ink bottle.

'_I should've left the house sooner!'_ she thought, running and dodging through the crowded streets toward the train station. _'I'm going to miss my train!'_

* * *

When she reached the station, the conductor was doing a last call for the train to Ponyville, and she ran up to him.

"Here!" she gasped, presenting him her ticket. "Here's my ticket!"

"Cutting it a bit close, Miss," the conductor remarked, punching her ticket, and gestured for her to board.

Thanking him, she boarded the train and found her seat in the first-class car. She stashed her luggage and sank gratefully into the seat as the train began moving.

'_Goodbye Las Pegasus,'_ she thought, accepting a glass of ice water from the waiter. _'And _hello_ Ponyville.'_

Settling in her seat and sipping the water, she watched the passing view through the window.

* * *

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was busy converting a room in the library into a bedroom with the help of Spike, Sunrise Blossom, and their friends.

"So, _who_ is this pony that's moving here?" Rainbow Dash asked while helping Applejack with the bookshelves.

"Her name is Sarah Quartz," Twilight Sparkle explained eagerly, "and she's the author of _three_ mystery book series! She's moving from Las Pegasus to Ponyville for a much-needed change of scenery, and maybe inspiration for her first ever book series for fillies and foals!"

Sunrise Blossom chuckled at her sister's excited expression. "What Twilight didn't mention is that Sarah will be living in the library," she added. "Plus, Sarah was inspired to become a writer by A.K. Yearling."

The blue pegasus perked up when she heard the name of the author of the _Daring Do_ books. "Really?"

"Yup."

"With all the partying in Las Pegasus, I'm sure she will find Ponyville absolutely restful," Rarity remarked, arranging the window curtains that she'd made.

"She'll probably find plenty to inspire her," Applejack added.

Fluttershy smiled. "I'm looking forward to making a new friend."

"And _I'm_ looking forward to throwing her a _Welcome to Ponyville _party!" Pinkie Pie squealed, firing her party cannon, and sprayed the room with confetti.

"Pinkie!" her friends shrieked.

"Sorry!"

* * *

After cleaning up the confetti, the ponies finished getting the room ready, and Sunrise Blossom headed back to the Apothecary to feed Rosemary, and deal with a backlog of orders.

'_I wonder what kind of book Sarah will write?'_ she wondered, mixing up a batch of shampoo for the spa. _'Probably something fun.'_

* * *

The next day, the red unicorn was asleep in one of the sleeper cars when a knock on the door woke her up.

_`"Madam? We'll be arriving at Ponyville soon."`_

"Oh, uh, thank you," she said and rolled off the bed. Her horn glowed green while she magically made the bed, and she tided herself up by pulling her mane in a ponytail and polished her green-rimmed glasses before putting them on.

'_I _hope_ moving to Ponyville works out,'_ she thought and made sure that she had everything before leaving the car.

* * *

An hour later, the train pulled into the station and she dismounted and looked around as it pulled away. She headed to the end of the platform and descended the stairs, getting her first view of Ponyville.

'_It's_ perfect_,'_ she thought, pleased with her decision to move, and she looked around as she walked through the town. As she looked at the sights, she was wondering where the library was-

"Oof!"

"Oof!"

The red unicorn grunted and landed on her rump, her glasses askew. Blinking, she adjusted her glasses and found herself face-to-face with a pink pony, who had the curliest hair she'd ever seen.

"Sorry," she apologized, getting up. "I didn't mean to run into you."

"It's all right," said the pink pony with a smile and she also stood up. "You must be new here. I'm Pinkie Pie."

The red unicorn couldn't help but smile back. "Nice to meet you, Pinkie," she said, "I'm Sarah Quartz, and-"

"Ooh, you're Twilight's new roommate!" Pinkie Pie squealed and shook Sarah's hoof so _vigorously_ that her glasses fell off and her ponytail came undone. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"It's ok, Pinkie," Sarah assured her, magically retrieving her glasses and restoring her ponytail. "I take it, that you know Twilight Sparkle?"

The pink pony nodded eagerly. "I certainly _do_ know her," she confirmed. "She's one of my _best_ friends. Come on! I'll take you to the library!" And she bounced away.

"_What an _odd_ pony,'_ Sarah thought, following the pink pony._ 'Odd, but also friendly.'_

* * *

By the time they reached the Golden Oak Library, Sarah learned that not only was Pinkie Pie overly cheerful, but that she was friends with every pony in town, and she managed to keep them both from getting hit by a bucket of water when her tail started twitching.

* * *

"…and that basically now my Pinkie Sense works," Pinkie Pie concluded when they reached the door to the library.

"Wow," Sarah remarked, writing the explanation down. "That's a useful talent."

The pink pony beamed. "It certainly is," she agreed and opened the door. "Come on in."

* * *

The first thing Sarah saw upon entering were shelves filled with books, doors to other rooms, a staircase, and-

"A baby dragon?" she asked, staring at the purple/green dragon, who was sweeping the floor, and stopped when she spoke.

"Hi there, I'm Spike," he said, setting aside the broom. "How can I help you?"

"This is Sarah Quartz," Pinkie Pie announced. "Now, I got to finish getting your welcome party ready!" And she left.

Sarah stared after her. "Party?"

"Yup, Pinkie is the resident Party Planner," Spike confirmed. "Come on, I'll take you to Twilight." And he lead her up the stairs.

* * *

In the study, Twilight Sparkle was reading a book on spells she'd just received from Princess Celestia when there was a knock on the door. "Come in."

Spike opened the door and Sarah entered the study, taking in the sight of various shelves with books and scrolls. "Twilight, we have a guest," the baby dragon announced.

Twilight Sparkle turned and her expression brightened when she saw the red unicorn. "You must be Sarah!" she exclaimed, hurrying over. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and I wasn't expecting you to show up today."

"Sorry for not letting you know ahead of time," Sarah apologized while shaking hooves with the purple unicorn. "I managed to catch an earlier train yesterday, and I wanted to get here as soon as possible once you confirmed that I could stay with you, Twilight."

"No problem," Twilight Sparkle assured the red unicorn. "I'll show you to your room and then I can give you a tour of Ponyville. Ok?"

"That sound great," Sarah agreed and followed her new friend to her new bedroom.

* * *

A/N: Yes, Sarah Quartz is the new OC and she has a big reason for moving to Ponyville, other then just to get new ideas for a new book series. See you all tomorrow! Bye! R&R everyone!


	2. Chapter 2: FRIENDS AND PARTY

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Friendship Warriors

A/N: Sorry that I'm posting a bit later then usual, but I had a busy morning. Anyway, time for the next chapter and for Sarah to meet the other ponies.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO: FRIENDS AND PARTY**

After Sarah put her luggage in her room, which she loved since it had bookshelves for her books, a desk, a wardrobe, a bed, several lamps, and she liked the apple pattern on the furniture, too, she and Twilight Sparkle left the library so that she could become familiar with Ponyville.

* * *

"And this is the Starlight Apothecary," Twilight Sparkle said as they walked up to a building that was painted a tasteful tan color with a midnight blue roof inlaid with silver shingles, midnight blue framed the windows, the door was also midnight blue with a silver inlaid door handle, and in midnight blue planters on either side of the doorway were all kinds of flowers that helped brighten up the place even more. Hanging above the doorway was a brand new midnight blue sign that had _Starlight Apothecary_ written across it in silver paint and it was lined with white diamonds.

* * *

"Wow, and your sister lives here?" Sarah asked, impressed as they entered the shop and she took in the interior: the walls were painted a silvery white color that made the main floor seem bigger, and the counter and shelves were all painted a light blue with small fairy lights lining them so that one could easily read the contents of the glass containers that held all the various ingredients needed to make the various potions and remedies needed. The large window frames were painted a light blue and had midnight blue drapes that were inlaid with silver thread and white diamonds. The floor wasn't painted, but it did have light blue rugs scattered about that were designed so that the ponies wouldn't accidentally slip or trip on them. Hanging from the ceilings were three large diamond encrusted chandeliers that made it possible to see everything at night.

The purple unicorn nodded. "Yep, Sunrise moved to Ponyville five years before I did to take over the running of the Apothecary at the request of Mayor Mare and Princess Celestia," she explained, heading toward the back to her sister's workroom. "It used to be run by the Star family, but the only surviving family member is Shadow Star, and she nearly ran the place into the ground before it was discovered that she was practicing dark magic."

"I've heard the reports about her," Sarah recalled. "She's still on the run isn't she?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded grimly. "Unfortunately, she is," she confirmed. "I've only ran into her once and that's a story I rather not get into right now." She then became cheerful and pushed the door to the workroom open. "Hey, Sunny, I-"

__BOOM!__

An explosion knocked Sunrise Blossom out of the room and into the two ponies, sending them tumbling across the floor as black smoke floated out of the room. "Ugh, that's the last time I try to combine vinegar with dragon scales," she complained, sitting up and flushed when she saw her twin and the red unicorn. "Oh, sorry, Twi!" she apologized, using her magic to clean them of the soot and restore her workroom. "Once again, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, Sunrise Boom," Twilight Sparkle said teasingly, earning a chuckle from her sister, and she then introduced the red unicorn. "Sunrise, this is Sarah Quartz. Sarah, this is my twin sister, Sunrise Blossom."

"A pleasure to meet you, Sunrise," said Sarah. "So, why did Twilight just call you Sunrise Boom?"

Sunrise Blossom chuckled. "It's a nickname since I still tend to accidentally blow myself up when trying out new potions," she explained. "When we were fillies, some of our classmates tried to bully me by calling me Sunrise Boom, but I turned their attempt on its head when I decided that I liked the nickname."

"And a good way to stand up to the bullies," Sarah added, earning nods of agreement from the twins. "So, what's it like living in the Apothecary?" she inquired, and the twins gave her a tour of the place while the orange unicorn shared some of her experience of running the shop.

* * *

When the tour was done, Twilight Sparkle took Sarah to visit Sweet Apple Acres and meet the Apple family, plus deliver some special potions that the family needed to deal with pests since Sunrise Blossom needed to finish some big orders to send on the train to places like Canterlot, Appleloosa, and Manehatten.

* * *

"Now that's a lot of apple trees," Sarah commented upon seeing the vast apple orchards that extended into the distance and out of sight. "But, why do they have dead trees over there?" she asked, waving a hoof at a patch of seemingly dead trees not far from the barn.

"Those trees aren't dead," Twilight Sparkle explained. "They're Zap Apple trees and they only produce zap apples once a year and only for 24 hours."

"Ah, so that's where Zap Apple Jam comes from," said the red unicorn, impressed. "My parents practically raised me on the stuff."

"It is popular," the purple unicorn agreed as they entered the yard. "Almost as popular as Apple Family apple cider they sell during cider season."

Sarah nodded and looked around at the farm, enjoying the openness of the countryside, and jumped when she heard a thudding sound from among the trees. "What the-?"

"Come on."

* * *

The two unicorns walked through the orchards, following the thudding sounds until they reached a section of trees, where Applejack and Big Macintosh were busy bucking apples out of the trees and into baskets.

"What are they doing?" Sarah asked, staring as the siblings slammed their back legs into the trees, and the apples dropped into the baskets… well, most of them went into the baskets while a few did land on the ground.

"They're doing apple bucking, which is their way of getting the apples out of the trees," Twilight Sparkle explained and then greeted the two Earth ponies when they finished their bucking. "Applejack, Big Mac, I would like to introduce you both to Sarah Quartz."

Applejack came over and shook hooves with the red unicorn while Big Mac nodded his greeting. "Hi there, Miss Sarah," she said. "Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres."

"Thanks, and these are impressive apple trees," Sarah complimented.

Applejack beamed. "Thank you, kindly." And she gave the red unicorn a tour of the farm.

* * *

After having lunch with the Apple family, where Sarah was somewhat embarrassed when Granny Smith decided to have her be a member of the family from that point on, she and Twilight Sparkle returned to the town to resume the tour and meet the other ponies.

* * *

Rainbow Dash was supervising the removal of unscheduled rain clouds when she heard her name and looked down to see Twilight Sparkle waving up to her.

"I'll be right back," she told the three pegasi, who nodded, and she flew down to greet her friend and met the red unicorn standing next to her. "Hey, Twilight, whose this?" she asked.

"Rainbow, this is Sarah Quartz, my new roommate," said the purple unicorn happily. "Sarah, this is Rainbow Dash, who helps keep Ponyville weather nice for important events." _'When she isn't goofing off or napping.'_

Sarah shook the blue pegasus hoof. "Pleasure to meet you, Rainbow," she said. "Twilight told me that you're a big fan of the Wonderbolts."

"I sure am," Rainbow Dash replied, grinning. "And both Twilight and Sunrise were telling me yesterday that you were inspired to be a writer by the author of the Daring Do books."

Sarah nodded. "Yep, and I even got to meet her once at a Daring Do event," she added. "She was doing a panel and giving advice of how to write what you feel instead of what other ponies want, and she even signed my first edition copy of her first book."

"That is so cool!" the blue pegasus exclaimed. "You and I are definitely are going to be good friends, Sarah."

"I think we'll be good friends, too."

* * *

The next stop on the tour was Carousel Boutique, and Sarah had some mixed feelings about going into the shop since she wasn't big on wearing dresses, but Twilight Sparkle assured her that Rarity wasn't the type of pony to force somepony into something that didn't fit their own personal tastes.

"You should see the outfits she made for all of us when we attended the Grand Galloping Gala last year," said Twilight Sparkle as they entered the boutique, where they saw that the grey unicorn was busy selling a dress to a client. "Rarity always takes in account what ponies like or don't like when she designs a new outfit, and Applejack still wears hers for special occasions."

"If you say so," said Sarah, still unconvinced while looking around at the interior of the shop. _'Still, this is 100 times nicer then some of the shops back in Las Pegasus where you get dragged in by the mangers to buy an outfit even if you're not interested,'_ she thought.

Rarity thanked the pony with the request to come back, and she greeted the two unicorns. "Hello, Twilight, and who is this?" she inquired.

"Rarity, this is Sarah Quartz, my new roommate," Twilight Sparkle informed the grey unicorn.

"Oh, what an honor to meet you finally, Miss Sarah," Rarity said graciously. "Twilight told me about you and I do hope you like the drapes I made for your room."

"You did a wonderful job on the drapes," Sarah assured her, and she had liked the sky blue drapes that had silvery white clouds patterns on them.

Rarity beamed and gave them a tour of her boutique, introducing the red unicorn to Opalescence, who was on her best behavior, and she did manage to convince the red unicorn to try on a few dresses that even Applejack would approve of since they weren't too over the top. Sarah promised to consider getting some of the outfits at a later date, and the grey unicorn approved.

"Why do I have this feeling that Rarity is going to overhaul my wardrobe when I'm not looking?" Sarah wondered as she and Twilight Sparkle headed for the home of Fluttershy.

"If Rarity does that, just thank her," Twilight Sparkle advised. "She does it once a year to the rest of us, even to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and we've accepted the fact that if she's going to be that gracious with her work and time, it's best just to let her do it."

Sarah snickered. "I'm guessing that you learned this the hard way," she guessed and her friend nodded, flushing a little. "So, tell me about Fluttershy. Does she really have a lot of animals living with her?"

"Most of the animals live outside the house," the purple unicorn corrected her a little. "But a certain number do live inside her house, including a white bunny name Angel. I should warn you that Fluttershy is really shy and easily startled, although she's improved somewhat since I first met her last year when I moved to Ponyville."

"I can't wait to meet her."

* * *

When the two ponies arrived at the house, Fluttershy was outside and helping some birds fix their nests in one of the trees when she heard Twilight Sparkle call out to her. "I'll be right back," she promised the birds and flew down to the two unicorns.

"Hello, Twilight," said the yellow pegasus and looked shyly at the red unicorn. "Is she your new roommate?" she asked politely and softly.

"Yup, this is Sarah Quartz," Twilight Sparkle replied, beaming.

"Twilight tells me that you're really good with animals, Fluttershy," said Sarah and Fluttershy perked up. "Care to tell me a bit about what kind of animals you have living around here?" she requested.

Fluttershy agreed and they spent several hours getting to know some of the newer animals and had tea together.

* * *

"And here's our last stop, Sugarcube Corner," Twilight Sparkle announced as they approached the bakery. "I know you've already met Pinkie Pie, but I think you'll like Mr. and Mrs. Cake, plus their babies," she added.

"I'm sure I will," Sarah agreed and they stopped short when the door banged open and the pink pony rushed out with her forelegs full of party supplies that she loaded into her party wagon.

"Hey, guys!" Pinkie Pie said, grinning at them. "I'll see you both at town hall for the welcome party. Gotta dash!" And she hurried off.

Sarah watched her leave and swallowed, not overly keen on the party, and turned to the purple unicorn. "I'm not so sure about this party business," she admitted. "Parties are one of the reasons why I chose to move here."

"Don't worry, Pinkie is good at throwing parties that fit for the pony they're meant for," Twilight Sparkle assured her. "And I explained what you like and don't like, so it'll be the kind of party you'll enjoy, I promise."

_'Maybe,'_ Sarah thought as they entered the shop, and her doubts were pushed aside as she got to know Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and their babies Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, who she considered to be some of the cutest babies she'd ever seen other then her own nieces and nephews.

* * *

Despite Sarah's misgivings about the party, when she and Twilight Sparkle arrived at town hall later that day, she found that Pinkie Pie had set up the event that it was fun and not over the top like the kind of parties thrown constantly in Las Pegasus, and she actually enjoyed herself for a change. Sarah got to meet the rest of the ponies who called Ponyville home, and heard all kinds of stories.

* * *

Sarah was chatting with Sunrise Blossom and helping herself to some punch when she saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were bullying Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo near one of the games by not letting them have a turn.

_'No way am I going to let any fillies get bullied at a party,'_ Sarah thought, setting aside her cup and headed over to the fillies, surprising the orange unicorn, who hurried after her.

* * *

"Blank flanks shouldn't even be allowed to attend parties, much less play the games," Diamond Tiara teased the Cutie Mark Crusaders, smug since she could see that Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears. She was going to say more when a shadow fell over her, and she looked up into the angry face of the red unicorn.

"Excuse me," Sarah said coldly. "Seeing how this is my welcoming party, I say that they can play whatever games they want, whether they have a cutie mark or not. Now, get!" And the two fillies bolted.

"Whoa," said Apple Bloom. "You really made them run."

Sarah sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hoof. "I shouldn't have snapped like that," she admitted. "But I just can't stand bullies. I bet I'm gonna get an earful from their parents before too long."

"You might from Silver Spoon's parents," said Sunrise Blossom, glancing over where the two fillies were complaining to their parents, "and Diamond Tiara's mom, but this isn't the first time that those two fillies have been taught a lesson about being kind to others, and if you watch, you can see that Filthy Rich is already scolding his daughter for being rude."

Sarah chuckled in spite of herself. "I'm guessing that isn't the first time he's had to do that," she remarked and both the orange unicorn and the Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed. "So, I've been hearing that you three have your own club and are working on earning your cutie marks," she said to the fillies. "How's that going?"

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle all grinned, and they shared their stories with the red unicorn.

* * *

By the time that the party had started winding down, Sarah was seated at a table with the Mane Seven, who had been sharing with her about their adventures and the friendship lessons that they've been learning, and she had been writing all of the stories down.

"These are some of the most amazing stories I've ever heard," Sarah remarked, having finished writing down about their adventure in stopping the Flower of Eternal Rest. "Especially that some legends are real and not made up."

"Yup, finding out that darn Flower was real, was a shock to the system," Applejack agreed and yawned. "I don't know about you all, but I'm beat, and I best get Apple Bloom home since it's past her bedtime and she does have school tomorrow."

Rarity nodded. "Yes, it is getting late, and we all could use some beauty sleep."

Saying goodnight to each other, the eight ponies parted way with Rainbow Dash making sure that Scootaloo made it home, and Sarah headed back to the library with Twilight Sparkle, who was carrying a sleeping Spike on her back.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will see you all again on Thursday! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 3: INSPIRATION AND SECRETS

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Friendship Warriors

A/N: Hey everyone, here's the second to last chapter, and I hope you all have been enjoying the story. Onward!

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE: INSPIRATION AND SECRETS**

Over the next few days, the Mane Seven got to know Sarah and her likes and dislikes: she enjoyed reading, listening to music, being around foals, fillies & colts, singing, writing kids books, horror novels, mystery novels, thriller novels, thunderstorms and roses. And she disliked dresses since she had all brothers back home and was the big reason she was such a tomboy, needles, blueberries, flower except for roses, bullies and having to write romantic, fantasy, spiritual, and syfy.

* * *

"You only have brothers and no sisters?" Rarity asked and Sarah nodded. "Oh darling, that does explain a lot, but no fear. If I come up with anything for you to wear for special occasions, I'll run it by you first."

"Thanks, and I'm sorry for being angry earlier when I found you inspecting my wardrobe," Sarah apologized to the grey unicorn, "but when growing up with nothing but brothers, I tend to get a bit overprotective of my stuff."

Rarity assured the red unicorn that it would be all right and she really should've asked for permission first. Despite the occasion blowup, the friendship between Sarah and the Mane Seven grew stronger each day as she got use to the way things were done in Ponyville, and she entertained them when she showed up wearing a red fez one time and explained that she wore it when she needed inspiration for writing new stories.

However, the seven ponies had noticed that Sarah didn't really like talking about why she moved from Las Pegasus, and they had a feeling that it had to do with something other then just with her not being a big party pony. Twilight Sparkle had noticed that whenever the mail arrived each day, Sarah would sort through her mail and hide away a particular type of letter that would come in a dark red envelope, and when she asked her friend about them, she would be told that it wasn't important and not to worry about it.

* * *

"I hate to say it, but I think Sarah might be getting threatening letters from somepony," Twilight Sparkle told Sunrise Blossom as they worked on bringing new supplies into the Apothecary. "Why else would she hide those letters?"

"Maybe, or they could be personal letters from her family," Sunrise Blossom suggested while Rarity opened the parcels containing the ingredients and began sorting them into their proper containers. "You know, stuff about how they're all doing, and Sarah just doesn't feel like sharing them since they're personal."

Twilight Sparkle didn't look convinced, but she chose to push it out of her mind for the time being, and this was made easier when Sarah ran inside the shop with an excited expression on her face while magically carrying a stack of bound papers. "Hey, Sarah, what do you have there?" she asked after greeting their friend.

"The rough draft for my new book series for fillies and foals," Sarah announced, presenting them with the manuscript. "After listening to your stories about your adventures, defeating Nightmare Moon, Discord, stopping the Flower of Eternal Rest, and all the friendship lessons, I was inspired to write an adventure series with a group of ponies based on you girls," she explained as they passed around the manuscript, reading through it. "I'm calling the group the Friendship Warriors, and they are ponies who fight to protect friendships everywhere."

The seven ponies were impressed by what their friend had written and said so, especially since her characters were spot on, even the one based on Spike.

"So, this is why you've been staying up late," Twilight Sparkle remarked. "You were working on your book."

Sarah nodded. "Yup," she agreed. "Like I said, this is a rough draft, but I really think it'll be a hit with the fillies and foals all over Equestria. Mind you, my editor in Manehatten will have to read it first and let me know if I have to make any changes," she added. "But just imagine, a group of ponies that go out on missions to fight against the forces of evil to save friendships, and teach valuable lessons at the same time. It's perfect! And I can promise that you seven will get credit since these are your stories, too."

"This is so exciting!" Pinkie Pie squealed, and gave each of them a party cannon with their respective cutie marks. "We need to celebrate!"

"I'm with Pinkie," Rainbow Dash agreed, grinning. "This is the coolest thing ever! We're heroes!"

The other ponies agreed, figuring it would be worth cleaning up the mess later, and they yanked on the cords at the same time, filling the room with confetti.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Sarah didn't spend a lot of time with her friends since she had to work on her book, and the Mane Seven understood that writing book series was hard work. The draft of her first Friendship Warriors book did have to be revised a few times at the recommendations from her editor in Manehatten, but not as many times as she feared since the idea of warriors defending friendships was perfect for a series of books for fillies and foals according to her editor.

After all the revisions were done, it was announced that in a few months, the first novel, called "Formation of the Friendship Warriors", would be published and released to the public.

* * *

A few days after the announcement, Twilight Sparkle and Spike were doing some reorganization in the main room of the library when the mail arrived, and she brought it all inside to sort since Sarah wasn't there since she needed to buy more paper and ink in order to start working on the next book in the series.

"More fan mail for Sarah," the purple unicorn remarked, sorting the mail into neat piles. "Subscriptions for fashion magazines that I'm sure Rarity will like, and… huh."

"What is it, Twilight?" Spike asked, looking up from the comic book he'd gotten in the mail.

Twilight Sparkle magically held up one of the dark red letters and noted the stamp. "It's another of those letters that she keeps hiding away," she remarked. "Strange, it's from the publishing company in Las Pegasus, which used to published her books before she switch over to the company in Manehatten. I wonder why they keep sending her letters when she isn't with them anymore?"

"That is strange," Spike agreed. "Has Sarah ever said why she switched publishing companies?"

Twilight Sparkle shook her head and set the letter on the stack of mail for her friend. "No, she hasn't and I've never asked since it didn't really matter, or so I thought," she responded, frowning thoughtfully. "Do you think they did something that would make Sarah move away from Las Pegasus?"

The baby dragon shrugged. "I honestly don't know."

"Me either," Twilight Sparkle agreed, magically gathering up her friend's mail and put it on the desk in her room, choosing not to worry about the dark red letter, and she went back to her reorganization.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sarah was leaving the shop with her saddlebags filled with paper, ink, and quills when she almost ran into a pony about to enter. "Oh, sorry, I-" she began and froze when she saw that the pony was a tall unicorn stallion on the thin side with dark blue skin, dark red hair and goatee, red eyes, and his cutie mark was a torn dark red book. "Epic Clash!"

"Hello, Sarah," Epic Clash said with a cruel smile. "I've been trying to get in touch with you for a while."

"I know," Sarah replied, now glowering at him. "And I thought when I sent my only reply that you would get the hint that I'm not going back to do what you think I should write."

Epic Clash glowered at the red unicorn. "I am your boss and-" he began.

"Hey, Sarah," said Sunrise Blossom, trotting up at that exact moment and looked between them. "How's it going?"

Sarah was relieved to see her friend. "Great!" she said quickly. "Mind helping me get my supplies back home?" she asked and the orange unicorn agreed. "Great!" And she hurried her friend away, leaving the glowering dark blue unicorn.

* * *

Sunrise Blossom was confused by how her friend was acting and Sarah wouldn't answer any questions until they were back at the library. By this point, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were there so that they all could go out to lunch as a surprise for the red unicorn.

"Sarah, what's going on?" Sunrise Blossom asked, moving so that the red unicorn couldn't disappear into her room with the paper, ink, and quills. "Who was that guy you were talking to?"

"No pony of importance," Sarah insisted and teleported herself into her room before any pony could stop her.

They heard the lock latched and exchanged perplexed looks.

"What was that all about, Sunrise?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Sunrise Blossom admitted, her face etched with concern. "I saw her standing outside the shop and talking with this dark blue unicorn, and she didn't look very happy." And she described him to her friends.

"Well, whoever this guy is, he's definitely not from around here," Applejack remarked. "So, why should he come to Ponyville and give Sarah a hard time?"

"I wonder if it has anything to do with those letters she's been getting in the mail?" Twilight Sparkle wondered, and explained to the ponies when they all gave her questioning looks. "For the past few months, Sarah's been getting these dark red envelopes, and when she got one today, I saw that it was from the publishing company in Las Pegasus that she used to be with before she switched."

"Why would they be sending Sarah letters if she isn't publishing with them anymore?" Rarity wondered. "And does this have anything to do with her moving to Ponyville?"

Twilight Sparkle looked at the grey unicorn questioningly. "What're you talking about, Rarity?" she questioned. "Sarah moved here to get away from the constant parties in Las Pegasus and gain inspiration for her new book series, The Friendship Warriors."

"And those are very good reasons to move away from your family," Rarity agreed. "But I don't think they're the only reasons. Think about it. Why would she switch publishing companies after so many years, and why would her former publishing company send letters to her everyday?"

"Rarity's right," Applejack agreed. "There's something strange going on, and Sarah's the only one who can answer our questions."

Why was that strange unicorn bugging their friend? And how were they going to find out the truth?

* * *

A/N: If you have any guesses for the questions that the Mane Seven are pondering, post them in your reviews, and I'll let you know on Tuesday if you're right or not. R&R everyone!


	4. Chapter 4: THE TRUTH COMES OUT

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Friendship Warriors

A/N: Hey, MLP fans, so here is the final chapter of this story and I will be posting the first chapter of the next story tomorrow since I have a morning shift at the movie theater on Thursday. And for those of you eagerly waiting for the rest of chapter 8 for the AU version of _The Last Roundup_, I should have it up either sometime today or tomorrow.

Read, review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from _My Little Pony: Magic is Friendship_. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR: THE TRUTH COMES OUT**

Over the next few days, the Mane Seven kept tabs on Epic Clash while they gave Sarah her space, deciding that it would be best to let her come to them with the truth instead of trying to force it out of her. Keeping tabs on the dark blue unicorn wasn't hard since it seemed like he was out to alienate every pony in Ponyville, even the fillies and foals.

* * *

"Don't you dare talk to my sister like that!" Rarity shrieked when she caught Epic Clash bullying Sweetie Belle at Sugarcube Corner, where they were meeting up with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and she stalked toward him, her eyes flashing with anger.

"And what are you doing to do about it?" the dark blue unicorn challenged, sneering at her. "Tie ribbons in my mane?"

Rarity glared hotly at him and opened her mouth when she was joined by her friends, and the horns of Sunrise Blossom and Twilight Sparkle were glowing with their magic. "No, but we will show you what we can do against those who try to hurt the ponies we care about," she snapped. "Now, leave."

Epic Clash eyed the seven ponies, smirked, and then he trotted out of the shop, making a point to knock over a display of cupcakes before leaving.

While Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy went to clean up the mess and Rarity attended to her sister, Applejack turned to the twins and Rainbow Dash, having had enough.

"I know we all agreed to give Sarah her space and to come to us when she was ready," she said, "but this is going too far."

"You're absolutely right, Applejack," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "The only way we're going to find out why Epic Clash is in town and what it has to do with Sarah, is to talk to her as soon as possible."

"Might as well do it now," Rainbow Dash suggested, and her friend agreed. It was time to confront their friend and learn the truth.

* * *

Returning to the library, the seven ponies went to the door to their friend's room, Sunrise Blossom magically picked the lock, and they entered, startling the red unicorn, who'd been pacing and wearing her fez.

"What the-? Why are you barging into my room?!" Sarah demanded angrily, magically tossing her fez aside while glaring at them. "I'm in the middle of writing my next book!"

"Sarah, we've been very patient by waiting for you to tell us the truth when you felt ready," said Twilight Sparkle in a calm voice while fixing her friend with a stern look. "But that unicorn who arrived a few days ago, he has been harassing nearly every pony in town, and we just stopped him verbally attacking Sweetie Belle," she informed her friend. "Please, tell us why he's here and why you really moved to Ponyville."

Sarah glared at her friends for a few seconds, but then she sighed and turned away, her ears drooping. "He's name is Epic Clash and he was my editor at Dark Moon Publishing until a few months ago," she explained. "He's also the real reason why I moved away from Las Pegasus, not just the all-night parties, and why I switched over to Rainbow Pegasus Publishing." She sniffed and turned to face her friends. "When I first started out writing books and getting them published, I had the freedom to do what I wanted, and then one day, Epic Clash called me into his office and informed me that he was going to stop publishing the series I had going so far. When I asked him why, he told me that he wanted to have me write what he believed ponies should be reading, and he expected me to do everything his way."

"So, that's why you switched publishing companies?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, and when Epic Clash learned that I had found a lawyer to help me end my contract with Dark Moon Publishing and make the switch to Rainbow Pegasus Publishing in Manehatten, he was furious," she continued. "He started threatening both me and my family until my brothers gained up on him, and he stopped after they threw him into a dumpster. Even though he'd stopped, I feared that he would try to go after my family again, so that's when I started looking for a new place to live while protecting my family."

"And why you moved to Ponyville," Applejack guessed and her friend nodded. "Why didn't you tell us this sooner? We'd understand and we would've helped keep him off your back if and when he showed up."

Sarah sighed. "I wished that I had," she confessed. "But I didn't want to weigh you down with my problems."

"Hey, we've dealt with worse," Rainbow Dash reminded her. "If we can stop Nightmare Moon, Discord, and even Shadow Star unleashing The Flower of Enteral Rest, then we can deal with this jerk."

"You're right, Rainbow," Sarah agreed. "Until those letters started coming in the mail, I thought I'd seen the last of Epic Clash, but now that he's in Ponyville, I guess I'll have to face him head on."

"And you won't be facing him alone," Sunrise Blossom promised as they did a group hug. "That's the reason why the magic of friendship works so well, we deal with these problems together and not alone."

Realizing that her friends were right, Sarah smiled, and they came up with a plan of how to deal with Epic Clash.

* * *

Meanwhile in town, Epic Clash was dining at one of the café's, making rude remarks about the food and service when he saw Granny Smith going by with her saddlebags, and he saw an opportunity to have some fun at the old pony's expense. Leaving a lousy tip on the table, he started toward Granny Smith when his way was blocked by Sarah.

"Ah, so you've finally decided to face me," Epic Clash sneered at the red unicorn. "Have you come to your senses?" he inquired.

"If you mean, will I be returning to Las Pegasus with you and write whatever you want me to write?" Sarah asked, and he nodded. "In that case, no I will not be going back with you, and I'm going to continue writing what I want to write."

The dark blue unicorn shook his head, tsking. "Shame, I guess I will have to stick around until you come to your senses," he remarked and turned to go, only to find his way blocked by the Mane Seven. "Oh, you seven again."

"Yes, us," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "And we know why you're bullying everypony, including the fillies and foals. You're hoping to force Sarah to do what you want. Well, just like she said, Sarah isn't going anywhere with you, and if anypony is going to leave, Ponyville, it's going to be you."

Epic Clash scowled, dark red sparks popping out of his horn. "And what makes you think you can get me to leave?" he demanded.

Just then there was a trumpeting sound and the ponies that stopped to watch the confrontation, gasped when a familiar chariot flew through the air and landed not far from the group. Princess Celestia exited the chariot and the gathered ponies bowed as she approached the Mane Seven, Sarah, and Epic Clash, who looked like he'd been hit in the face with a stinging spell.

"P-P-Princess Celestia," he stammered. "I – I-"

"Epic Clash," Princess Celestia interrupted, fixing him with a royal stern look. "I received word from my students and their friends about how you've been bullying my subjects, and I seemed to recall a discussion we had a few years back. Do you?" she inquired.

Epic Clash swallowed and nodded, not trusting himself to talk.

"Good," said the Princess. "Now, I believe that the next train for Las Pegasus will be leaving shortly. I expect you to be on it."

Meekly nodding, Epic Clash hurried off to catch the train. The moment that he was gone, the ponies all cheered, and they had a party on the spot.

* * *

A week after the face-off against Epic Clash, Sarah was happy to see that the letters weren't coming anymore, and the day for the release of the first of many Friendship Warriors books was getting closer. Looking forward to the book release, the red unicorn hired Pinkie Pie and the Cakes to do a launch party, and she made sure that every pony in Ponyville were invited.

* * *

When the day of the book launch party arrived, the ponies all gathered for the party at town hall, and they were pleasantly surprised when Sarah showed up, magically carrying a large cache of boxes with her.

"I have great news, everypony!" she announced, setting the boxes on the floor. "Not only has my new book been released today, but I have here a copy of the book for every pony in Ponyville!"

The ponies all cheered and the books were passed out among them, and Sarah even made a point to sign their copies.

"This was a wonderful surprise, Sarah," Fluttershy complimented. "You really didn't have to give everypony a copy of your new book."

"I know," Sarah agreed. "But after what the town went through when Epic Clash was here, I thought it was only decent to make up for my not telling the truth by giving everypony a copy of The Friendship Warriors first book."

"Sounds like a good friendship lesson you could share with Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle suggested.

"Yeah, I think I'll do it after the party," Sarah agreed, and she went back to enjoying the party with her friends.

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap! See you all tomorrow for the start of the next story. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


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